The Grand Budapest Hotel' is an elaborate fairy tale

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014, Fox, R, $30) is Wes Anderson’s most elaborate fairy tale yet. Set in the fictional Austro-Hungarian kingdom of Zubrowka, the action focuses on Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), a concierge who spends much of his time romancing the guests, particularly the ancient – and wealthy - Madame D (Tilda Swinton). When she kicks the bucket, Gustave inherits a valuable painting but collecting the treasure turns out to be a challenge thanks to all of the crazy characters who come out of the woodwork. Both madcap and melancholy, Anderson’s eighth feature is a dazzlingly rich confection that derives much of its power from its depiction of a world that’s on the cusp of disappearing. Extras: featurettes.

Also New This Week

The Lego Movie (2014, Warner, PG, $29) From “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller comes a gleeful celebration of non-conformity that’s as crazily inventive, in its own psychedelic way, as the “Toy Story” movies. Chris Pratt lends his voice to Emmett, a construction worker who embarks on an epic quest to take down President Business (Will Ferrell) after the dastardly despot announces plans to outlaw creativity. The catchy theme song says it all: “Everything is Awesome.” Extras: featurettes, outtakes, deleted scenes and commentaries.

Joe (2014, Lionsgate, R, $20) Nicolas Cage makes a welcome return to indie films with this look at an ex-con who befriends a 15-year-old (Tye Sheridan) desperate to escape his monstrous father (superb Gary Poulter). There’s no plot to speak of but director David Gordon Green (“Superbad”) gets a lot of mileage out showing Cage at work, poisoning sick trees for the local lumber company. Even though Green lays on the awfulness of this poor, Mississippi community too thickly, the film grips you with its fine performances, haunting backwoods setting and insistence that redemption is just a good deed or two away. Extras: deleted scenes, featurettes and commentary by Green.

13 Sins (2014, Anchor Bay, R, $28) How far would you go to earn $6.2 million dollars? That’s the question Elliot Brindle (Philadelphia’s Mark Webber) has to ask himself when, on the same day he’s fired from his job, he receives a phone call from a stranger promising to make him rich if he agrees to 13 challenges. The dares start out mild but soon Elliott is dragging a corpse through the streets and taking a saw to the arm of an old nemesis. Thanks to Webber’s live-wire performance and writer/director Daniel Stamm’s (“The Last Exorcist”) ability to balance desperation and black comedy, “13 Sins” winds up being a dark delight. Extras: featurettes, deleted scenes and commentaries by Stamm and Webber.

Advertisement

Jimmy P. (2014, IFC, unrated, $25) From Arnaud Desplechin (“A Christmas Tale”) comes a superbly acted yet static drama about Jimmy Picard (Benicia Del Toro), a Blackfoot Indian army corporal who is admitted to a military hospital complaining of blinding headaches and bizarre dreams. He’s diagnosed as a schizophrenic but a French psychoanalyst (Mathieu Amharic) knows better. Thus begins a series of exchanges between doctor and patient aimed at uncovering the secrets of Packard’s personality. Even though it’s based on a real case history, “Jimmy P.” lacks tension and suspense. You keep waiting for Desplechin to bring on the drama but he never does. Extras: featurette.

Capital (2012, Cohen, R, $25) The latest from Costa-Guavas (“Missing”) is a corporate thriller that aims to follow in the greed-exposing footsteps of “Wall Street” and “Arbitrage.” But unlike those movies, which were populated by interesting characters doing interesting things, “Capital” amounts to little more than a series of tedious boardroom encounters. Gad Emailed stars as an upstart exec trying to maintain his position as CEO of a French bank in the midst of a hostile takeover by an American hedge fund manager (Gabriel Byrne). It’s even duller than it sounds. Extras: featurette.

Ernest & Celestine (2013, Cinedigm, PG, $30) An 2014 Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature, this adorable film from France celebrates the odd-couple friendship between a tiny mouse (Mackenzie Foy) and a cranky bear (Forest Whitaker). After becoming pals, the pair enjoy a number of adventures together, at least until the law catches up with them. The animation, which appears hand drawn, casts a magical glow and the voice cast (including Lauren Bacall, Paul Giamatti and William H. Macy) is top-notch. Extras: featurettes and French audio track.

Adult World (2014, IFC, R, $25) In this shrill coming-of-age comedy, an aspiring poet named Amy (Emma Roberts) is forced to work as a clerk at a sex shop after being cut-off by her parents. She also tracks down her favorite word slinger (a wry John Cusack) and begs to become his protégé. Amy is so annoying, pushing her awful poetry on everyone, that you almost delight in her downfall. Roberts’ real-life boyfriend Evan Peters brings a good deal of charm to the underwritten role of Amy’s boss. But neither Peters nor Cusack can make this turkey fly. Extras: deleted scenes.

Test Pilot (1938, Warner Archive, unrated, $20) Before teaming up for “Gone With The Wind,” director Victor Fleming and Clark Gable turned out this enthralling adventure that doubles as a look at love, friendship and the high cost of thrill-seeking. The flying sequences are pulse-racingly realistic but it’s the human drama between Gable, his wife (Myrna Loy) and mechanic buddy (Spencer Tracy) that really sends this baby soaring. It’s no wonder Loy considered this her personal favorite of all her films; her comic scenes with Gable and her more emotional ones with Tracy turn this hidden gem is one of the glories of ‘30s cinema. Extras: none.

Notes on a Scandal (2006, Fox, R, $20) Now on Blu-ray, this steadily engrossing potboiler examines the ways that loneliness can turn your life upside down and inside out. Judi Dench, in a performance of controlled intensity, stars as a spinster schoolteacher who develops an ill-advised crush on another instructor (Cate Blanchett) who is, herself, involved in a disastrous affair with a student. Every scene crackles with dark humor and uncommon feeling. The result is a movie that feels like it is on fire from the first moment to the last. Extras: featurettes and commentary by director Richard Eyre.

Two Rode Together (1961, Twilight Time, unrated, $30) Racism, murder and the limits of trail justice are explored in this uneven but compelling western from John Ford. Like Ford’s earlier masterpiece “The Searchers,” two men (James Stewart, Richard Widmark) set off to retrieve white captives kidnapped years earlier by the Comanches. Even though “Two Rode Together” lacks the grandeur of “The Searchers,” it remains fascinating not only for Stewart’s astonishing performance as a deeply flawed and cynical sheriff but for its willingness to cast a revisionist eye on the mythology of the Old West. Extras: none.

All That Heaven Allows (1955, Criterion, unrated, $30) Blu-ray brings out the best in Douglas Sirk’s sumptuously photographed romance that doubles as an indictment of small-town American values. Jane Wyman stars as a wealthy widow who endures the scorn of her college-age kids and snobby friends when she falls for her much younger gardener (Rock Hudson). Soapy but smart, Sirk’s masterpiece is a pleasure not to be missed. Extras: commentaries, interviews and “Rock Hudson’s Home Movies,” a feature-length doc about the actor.

House of Cards: Volume Two (2014, Sony, unrated, $55) Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is back and he’s as unscrupulous as ever. In the second season of the political drama, the congressman from South Carolina has maneuvered himself one heartbeat away from the oval office. With episodes devoted to anthrax scares and government shutdowns, the action feels like it was ripped from the headlines. The most compelling character on the show remains Underwood’s secretive wife Claire (Robin Wright), a woman so devious she makes Lady MacBeth seem like Mary Poppins. Extras: featurettes.

Ray Donovan: Season One (2013, Paramount, unrated, $55) If this Showtime series just delivered confrontations between Ray (Liev Schreiber) and his ex-con father Mickey (Jon Voight), it would be worth watching. But it has a lot more to offer, including a cheeky inside-Hollywood vibe that recalls the best of “Entourage.” Set in Los Angeles, where Ray is a “fixer” to the stars, the series doles out a scandal or two per episode but the juice of the show involves the Donovans and their complicated family history. Extras: none.

About the Author

Amy Longsdorf is a freelance writer who got hooked on movies after catching "The Godfather" on the big screen. She is a weekly contributor to The Mercury's Sunday Living Section writing entertainment features and DVD reviews. She graduated from Cedar Crest College in Allentown with a degree in communications and has written for People Magazine, The New york Daily News, The Toronto Star, Philadelphia Weekly and The Camden Courier Post. She contributed to "Videohound's Groovy Movies:Far Out Films of the Psychedelic Era." Reach the author at movieamy@aol.com
.